Monday, July 02, 2007

Arsenal sign Eduardo da Silva from Dynamo Zagreb.

A week of nothing, and then out of the blue: this! Hurrah!

Croatia striker Eduardo da Silva set to join Arsenal

Arsenal Football Club can confirm that terms have been agreed with Dinamo Zagreb for the transfer of striker Eduardo Da Silva on a four year contract for an undisclosed fee, subject to a medical.

Da Silva (24), was born in Brazil but moved to Croatia at the age of 15 and took Croatian nationality in 2002. The striker scored the first competitive goal at Emirates Stadium when Arsenal beat Dinamo Zagreb 5-1 on aggregate in last season’s UEFA Champions League Third Qualifying Round.

Eduardo has made 12 appearances for the Croatian national team scoring seven goals, including one of his country’s goals in their 2-0 Euro 2008 Qualifier victory over England in October 2006.

Further details will follow on Arsenal.com.

[ Monday, July 02, 2007]

http://tinyurl.com/3ckgg7

More to follow later.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduardo_Alves_da_Silva

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wenger's bought a fox to play with van Persie. Not a whisper, not a word and then a signing. I love the way we do business.

Goonerboy said...

I like the way we do business when we sign people. When we don't it's just unbearable.

It's also quite funny that this guy has not been mentioned anywhere - not in the papers, blogs or other media. Totally out of nowhere, heh.

Anonymous said...

may more follow in the same way :)

Anonymous said...

Is this another Wenger find?

Who knows, he has scored against England and Arsenal...

And he arrives in time for pre season training, I doubt if he cost anything more than 5 mill, so plenty in the bank for some more players to come in.

Anonymous said...

He got 34 in 32 games...I know its the Croation league but thats impressive nonetheless.
We know he can settle in a foreign country, has international and european experience and has already hit the net at the Emirates and against Robinson-great news.

I wonder though should we look to sign another striker or cover elsewhere? I doubt we will sign Curtis Davis, good player as he is I dont think hes better than Djourou or Senderos. I would love a winger who hugs the touchline and if we sign someone like that, then we would have a multitude of options in attack and in terms of formations-eg Rosicky can play in the middle in a 451 with a quick winger wide balancing out the Hleb-Rosicky-Cesc trio.

Anonymous said...

check it out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nREh1bD0HsY

Anonymous said...

hopefully another revelation! he's 24 so def got time to develop. watched him on youtube, looks good at making runs and getting on the end of thru-balls...quite pacey too! seems a bit left-foot heavy thou. time will tell eh. hopefully this is not the henry replacement thou...

Anonymous said...

he is very fast, left footed and plays as a winger aswell.

seeing as he is not tall - about 5'10 - wenger has maybe bought him to play as a winger or a wide forward in a 4-3-3 formations (seeing as wenger likes strikers over 6'). either way i am excited, the guy looks explosive.

Anonymous said...

This player was mentioned by at least one Arsenal fan/blogger, as I remember reading the post within the last couple of months.

Can't remember which site it was on though.

Apparently he's a versatile player who can operate in the wide midfield, central attacking midfield & centre forward positions, so we shall have to wait and see where Wenger wants to make the best use of him.

Goonerboy said...

Fee of €24 million reported on the UEFA website, but I'll see if this is picked up/denied/confirmed elsewhere before I post it.

Goonerboy said...

Mail and Standard are only reporting £6 million.

Hmm. Confusion reigns for the moment.

Anonymous said...

matt w

mate calmed down, at least we are starting our activities. i bet u any money he will score more than bent does next term. if u think we were about to sign maradona ur livin a fantasy mate, welcome to the world of arsenal

Anonymous said...

arsene knows!

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/06/04/croatias_biggame_poacher_strik.html

Anonymous said...

Its not Dynamo, its Dinamo!

Anonymous said...

Until we have seen him we cant comment.

He seems a handy European forward, if he can play on the left of a 4 3 3 then great, he is kind of a Reyes replacement then.

In terms of top top class player, only time will tell.

24 mill Euros would mean he would be our most expensive signing.

Remember people hadnt heard of Drogba when he joined Chelsea and now he is the main man. Same could be said of Tevez as well.

In Wenger we trust.

Anonymous said...

Looking at the UEFA website and taking it in context, I think that we got 24 mill Euros for Henry and the club guy is saying we are paying from that.

I doubt whether we would be paying the exact amount of money we got from Henry for this new guy

Unknown said...

Classic Wenger.....i do have a sneaky feeling that in Da Silva, Wenger has signed a gem....(http://www.soccerphile.com/soccerphile/news/balkans-soccer/eduardo-da-silva.html)
He seems like an interesting prospect...not an Eto....but at least he comes without the HUGE salary, attitude, injury problems and baggage unlike the other candidates i.e. Eto, Anelka, Owen! PLUS, unlike Reyes he will not complain about cold weather! Seems a better prospect than the lumbering Baptista and is seemingly highly rated in Croatia ..... I can see him and Van Persie shredding defenses together and i hope he makes that big bafoon Drogba eat his words !

Anonymous said...

I like him, but I hope we bought him as a forward.

If we needed a winger I'd much rather have his team mate Modric.

Anonymous said...

Folks,

Arsene only want players he can mold into the image of how he wants them to play. Please forget about Super signing because it not that Arsene can't sign them, it's because you can teach old dogs new tricks.

Anonymous said...

FIFA.com is reporting about 6Mill. I think the 20 plus euros are probably coming out of the Dinamo club, to try and appease the fans for losing the top goalscorer. 6mill sounds about right potential talents of quality dont usually come cheaper than that. He looks a good player too. Scored against the Arsenal, got a header between Terry and Cole (ha) and one against Italy as well. So he don't just score against the minnows.
I knew Wenger would bring us gifts back from his holiday. Lets hope hes got a winger stuffed in the bottom of his suit case

Goonerboy said...

£7.8 million (€11 millions-ish) is the figure I've been told.

If so, an excellent buy - I'm really excited about this one.

Anonymous said...

matt w,

i'm tired of doommongers like you criticising arsene's policies. you haven't even seen the guy play for us and you're already judging him? and besides, who's to say we won't get another striker anyway? you want a 'super super class' player, go support chelshit. they'll be getting mr mediocre for $17million. star enough?

Anonymous said...

Hey Guys! I wonder right about now how many Premier League managers are thinking to themselves "Fuck I wish I'd thought of him" Arsene Wenger does it again. Didier Drogba can Lick My Balls! V2K

Anonymous said...

Its impossible to pan a player who hasn't even started for our club but this is NOT what Arsenal fans hope for as the replacement striker for Henry (and definitely NOT our only 'experienced' signing this summer). I'm 100% behind Da Silva though.
Seems as though my dreams of a hardworking gladiator (freaking Tevez) have died with this signing- and that is wtf we need. We need some experienced heads and fighters (even if they are English) and Wenger does not seem to realise how soft our team is.
We've shown some irrationality in the transfer market and no punk should talk that contract buying crap as Henry had signed a 4yr contract earlier and you don't just buy that out. With Henry's apparent 'marketability', he is not worth fucking 16mill.
Its still Gunners 4 ever (Tottenham as dumb as ever- imagine a 16.5mill striker when that position is covered already) and the truth is we need to stop idol-worshipping Arsene- Fergie passed the acid-test, its Wenger's turn to perform.

Anonymous said...

Not wishing to start an argument here but I'm probably going to as I disagree with the post of 11:33 on all fronts. DaSilva is a "finisher" and exactly what we need to capitalise on the several hundred wasted chances that we create a season, last year being the worst culprit. Both feet and his head, he can use it all. Teves is an over-rated player, plain and simple. He's good but you would think that for all the writing in the blogs that he was the second coming. He is exactly the kind of player that will bounce from club to club with as many inflated transfer fees as possible with absolutely no loyalty to anyone other than his financial advisors. He would be with us for a year and then would want a high profile moveto Madrid or Milan and we would be back to square 1. As for buying out contracts, Henry's 4 years was worth just shy of 22 million pounds.Fifa rules specify that a player over 28 that has served for 3 years or more, can buy out their contract for the value of its remaining duration. So divide 22 mil by 4 and multiply by 3 less a few months and you will arrive at Henry's transfer fee. Its not rocket science. It was all we could get for him and also shows who engineered the sale and why the club barely commented on it. As for acid test,well 3 premiership titles and 4 FA cups incorporating 2 doubles is a record that only 1 club can trump and 18 other premiership clubs can only dream of. They can also dream of our new Stadium, our youth system which is the envy of Europe along with our training facilities which are also viewed with jealous eyes.We are also a seeded Champions League team . Be thankful for what we have and try to remember back when it was a big deal if we got into the Uefa cup.That would now be considered a disaster.Perhaps we have become spoiled in recent years. Arsene Wenger is our most successful manager bar none. Suggesting that he needs to perform is ridiculous. I would also point out that it is unlikely that anyone could push him harder to perform than he pushes himself. V2K

Anonymous said...

For 12:08, DaSilva is a "finisher" where...?...in the croatian league for Christ's sake, so chill with your capita; don't even start mentioning his 7 goals in 12 internationals because that is what 'that' is- 12 matches only.
About Tevez, you have no right to critizise his loyalty- did he jump the West Ham ship like Mascherano OR did he fight his heart out with a team that was headed for the almost 'ineviatable' drop? Why don't you question Fabregas' loyalty when he says he would probably leave if Arsene leaves, is Wenger Arsenal (more on that in a bit)?
Now for buying out contracts, you are absolutely mistaken about the rules, check http://www.chelseablog.com/2006/09/01/do-players-have-a-right-to-buy-out-the-last-year-of-their-contract/
for your answer (4give the chelski in the link) and you'll see that there is something called the '“Protected Period”, which in principle is the period the contract is irrevocable unless there is just cause or sporting just cause': Henry was in this period (he just signed last year) and could NOT buy out his contract- do you think the 50mill that was bandied about last year was just a stupid-ass rumour with no basis on truth, wasn't he 28 last year and could he not have still bought out his contract if the rumours of his treachery then had bases? Henry's leaving shows these:
1. He does not care that we developed him so much as to ensure that we got the right worth 4 him (as opposed to Sheva who made sure Milan got 30mill for him).
2. The arsenal board is so stupid that they fail to realise the transfer market is ... A FREAKING MARKET- put demand out for your player and his value will rise, just like a freaking auction, son!!!
As for Wenger, get off his jock because it is this idol-worship that makes him decide he will never buy experience and would keep us waiting on him signing till the last second as though the next manager has no right to decide that he does not want some 16/17 yr olds in his squad. Wenger has underperformed in the last 2yrs and with all Fergie's achievements, he realised that this year was his 'acid test'- get something or GET OUT. Arsenal's rise is undoubtedly due to Arsene's talents but what we are now will not take another year of extreme mediocrity and failure before we understand that sometimes kids are going to be kid.
11:33 (waiting for your response)

Anonymous said...

In response to 1:49 am (nice to see somebody who keeps the same hours as me)
DaSilva has 73 goals in 101 games most recently 34 in 32 league games last season. Tremendous in ANY League. You can watch a good cross section by searching his name on YOU TUBE as I did before I made a personal decision on his abilities.
Teves hasn't jumped ship because so far his opportunity hasn't come yet but have no doubt that he will although West Ham's desparate offer of 115k a week may keep him 1 more year. I dont think that you should romanticise a player that was very good for 1/4 of a season whilst disparaging Fabregas. I generally try to ignore the press' quotes. Whilst Wenger is obviously not Arsenal, he is in point of fact a massive part of the club and all positive aspects of our current set up can be directly linked to his efforts. Henry would have been vilified last year if he had bought out his contract for the remaining year and gone to the team that denied us the European Cup. Easier to wait a year but in hindsight 16 mil for a 30 year old aint bad. He gave us an awful lot and then gave us a profit. I personally wish him well. I know that we have been disappointing for the last 2 seasons but in all fairness the level of absence through injury last year would cripple any team. Now I can see that patience isn't your strong point which is why I waited 'til morning to respond hehe. you need to get your loyalties straight mate. Let the manager do his thing. talks of mediocrity make me think that you have only been a fan for maybe 10 years because if you were for longer, you would remember what true mediocrity was. We have a classy side who play excellent football in the best of facilities under the guidance of a superb manager. If that isnt good enough for you and you like Sir Alex Fergusson so much(1 major trophy in 4 years albeit the latest 1)perhaps you should switch clubs. There are many who do but there are many who watch what arsenal fans have and dream wistfully of such success. By the way have you ever considered decaff? Have a little faith eh? Just a thought. Peace out V2K.